“Why should I hit you?” Chen Lishu sneered, “Do you really think everyone’s eyes are blind? You know perfectly well why Zhang Xue fell!”
Upon hearing Chen Lishu’s words, everyone turned their gaze to Sun Ling.
“What do I know?” Sun Ling flinched, then defiantly retorted, “Are you suspecting me of deliberately knocking Zhang Xue down? Are you out of your mind, Chen Lishu? I’m injured too!”
Chen Lishu ignored her and turned to ask about Zhang Xue’s condition, “How is it? Can you stand? I’ll help you.”
Zhang Xue took a couple of tentative steps. Her knee still ached, but it was within a bearable range. She smiled at Chen Lishu and nodded, “It’s okay, no major issues.”
After collecting the medicine prescribed by the doctor, as they were about to leave the infirmary, Zhang Xue suddenly turned back to look at Sun Ling. “Sun Ling, you are the most shameless person I’ve ever met.” With that, she pulled Chen Lishu along and left without looking back.
Watching their retreating backs, Sun Ling was fuming, “I already said it wasn’t on purpose. Zhang Xue, you come back here and clarify what you said. Who are you calling shameless?!”
Outside the infirmary, Zhang Xue sighed regretfully, “It’s over. Today was a big loss. My prizes are all gone now.”
Chen Lishu couldn’t help but laugh, “What are you still thinking about prizes at a time like this? Let’s focus on healing your injury first.”
“You can still walk and seem alright?” Li Zhiwei and Feng Pangzi followed them. Seeing Zhang Xue limping, Li Zhiwei said teasingly, “They say you should eat what you need to heal. How about I treat you to some pig trotters outside?”
Hearing about pig trotters, Zhang Xue’s eyes lit up. She didn’t bother with his teasing and instead said, “You said it, don’t you dare cry when it’s time to pay.”
Li Zhiwei raised an eyebrow and declared confidently, “If I can say it, I’m not afraid you’ll eat them. Whoever goes back on their word is a puppy.”
“Okay,” Zhang Xue said happily, “Lishu, Pangzi, you two be my witnesses. If he dares to go back on his word, he’ll have to wash my dirty clothes for a month.”
Feng Pangzi, who was also excited at the mention of pig trotters, chimed in, “Brother Wei, can you get one for your brother too?”
Brother Wei…
“Pfft.” Chen Lishu couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Li Zhiwei looked at Feng Pangzi disdainfully, “See? Chen Lishu is laughing at you. You’re harming your own kind!”
“Haha…”
After a day of rest, Gu Xingdong quickly recovered his usual state. Following nearly half a month of intensive training, he finally had a day off. Early in the morning, he prepared a simple meal for himself and ‘Da Wang,’ then began cleaning the room.
It took him over two hours to finish tidying up the house. Gu Xingdong then changed his clothes and went out.
“I’ll make you something delicious and bring it tomorrow.” As the class bell rang, Chen Lishu packed her schoolbag and bid farewell to Zhang Xue, then started walking towards the school gate.
Having not been home for half a month, she actually missed Gu Xingdong. And ‘Da Wang’ too, she wondered if he had been picky about his food.
She walked briskly out of the school gate and saw a tall figure standing under a tree not far away, smiling at her.
Perhaps it was the hot weather, but his army-green shirt sleeves were rolled up, and the hem was neatly tucked into his dark brown belt, revealing his lean waist.
Since he stood there, in just a short time, he had already attracted the attention of many girls.
Gu Xingdong was undeniably handsome, and his handsomeness exuded youthful vigor. His demeanor and bearing suggested he was an adult man. One could believe he was thirty, or twenty, and neither would seem out of place. A few girls were even secretly guessing who he was waiting for at the school gate.
“Why are you here? Are you off duty?” Chen Lishu quickened her pace. When she reached him, she stopped, her lips curling upwards involuntarily.
Gu Xingdong’s dark eyes fixed on her face, his deep voice laced with a smile, “I couldn’t fulfill my promise last time, so I’m making up for it today.”
Chen Lishu knew he was referring to their earlier plan to watch a movie and visit the park, which had to be canceled when they encountered human traffickers.
“I’m a bit hungry. How about we go eat first, then watch a movie, and visit the park when it cools down in the afternoon?”
Gu Xingdong nodded, “Whatever you say.”
Soon after, they had lunch and then went to the cinema.
As soon as they stepped onto the steps of the cinema’s main entrance, they could see several promotional posters plastered on the walls on both sides. The ticket counter was a small window, and next to it, a small blackboard listed the names and showtimes of the movies playing that day.
Movie genres at that time were still quite limited compared to later times. Especially in mainland China, the turmoil had only recently ended. Although many films were now unbanned, there were still very few romantic or art-house films.
Instead, at some point, “anti-spy films” had become popular. Coincidentally, the blackboard listed an upcoming screening of an “anti-spy film,” and the two quickly decided to watch it. The ticket price was three jiao, totaling six jiao for both of them.
While waiting, Gu Xingdong even went to a nearby fruit store to buy some strawberries and cherries. However, because the movie’s plot was tense, exciting, and full of twists and turns, Chen Lishu didn’t have a chance to eat them.
When they left the cinema, it was already past one in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day.
The midsummer afternoon sun was blazing. Sunlight streamed through the trees on both sides, making the green leaves appear white.
Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong decided to stroll through the riverside park before buying groceries to go home.
Because of the hot weather, the riverside park was crowded with people, and some young people had even gone into the water.
Most of them were not professionally trained swimmers and were simply seeking relief from the heat. Their swimming styles were all over the place, with the most common being the doggy paddle.
“Hey, who allowed you guys to swim here? This is a park, not your private bathhouse!”
Just as Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong sat down at a stone table under the shade of a tree, they saw an auntie wearing a red armband running over from a distance.
The people in the water, who had been enjoying themselves, suddenly scattered like startled ducks, scrambling out of the water to find their clothes.
While only their heads were visible in the water, it didn’t seem like much. But once they got ashore, Chen Lishu couldn’t help but laugh.
There were no specialized swimsuits or trunks at this time. Due to limited conditions, two people were wearing shorts that had colorful patches sewn onto their buttocks.
“Ahem!”
Seeing that she kept staring at the men, Gu Xingdong’s expression turned a bit unpleasant, and he couldn’t help but clear his throat.
The auntie had already run closer, but those rascals had already gathered their clothes and were running away. Some even provocatively whistled at the auntie, making her turn as red as a frog.
“You guys don’t listen to advice. If two of you drown, you’ll be in big trouble! I’ll deal with you for messing around all day in your shorts and acting like hooligans when I catch you.”
Chen Lishu watched the few people run off, especially the dazzlingly bright “flower shorts.” A thought about future swimwear suddenly flashed through her mind.